Children grow at such phenomenal speeds that it’s amazing to experience. In the blink of an eye, that little baby you once held in your arms has now grown into a toddler who is tearing around the house, playing and jumping and being curious about the world around him. In another blink, he would be ready to go to school. Imagine the kind of nutrition and energy he needs to fuel his rapid growth.

The nutrients that a child must consume to support his growth include carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals.

─ Too little of these nutrients, and growth would be restricted, causing undernutrition, insufficient weight gain or weight loss, slow height attainment and poor cognitive development.

─ Too much of these nutrients, coupled with inactivity, and the child could gain too much weight.

Too Much, Too Little: Balancing a Two Edged Sword

Many parents tend to think that chubby children look cute but “Big is not Better”, according to a New Straits Times article[1]. that interviewed Associate Professor Dr Geeta Appanah, president of the Malaysian Association for the Study of Obesity.

Overweight children are more likely to become overweight adults. Not only will there be health implications such as high blood pressure, heart issues, high cholesterol and diabetes later in life, obese children tend to have dangerous breathing problems and face stigmatisation and bullying from peers resulting in mental health issues and low self-esteem.

“While undernutrition is arguably more concentrated among the poor, overeating and obesity is a problem for the rest of the population, says Shalini Yeap, a project manager for a breakfast programme serving a kindergarten in Selangor. In an article for The Edge Markets[2], she says, “Malnutrition — which includes excesses or imbalances in a person’s intake of energy and/or nutrients — is a problem that cuts across all income classes.”

Eating Habits Have to Change

Shalini goes on to say that even non-poor children can be undernourished as they often go to school on an empty stomach owing to a busy parent’s lack of time to prepare breakfast early in the morning. Apart from not eating the most important meal of the day, other reasons why rich families can also have malnourished children is because they often make unwise decisions and buy the wrong kinds of foods for their kids. An example would be indulging the child with fast food, expensive snacks like imported potato chips and chocolates and fizzy canned drinks.

While it has been said that eating from the five food groups such as grains, protein, vegetables, fruits and dairy would ensure optimal growth for a child, what’s more important is to inculcate good eating habits that start from parental habits and attitudes towards food. For example, if parents themselves do not like eating vegetables, it is unlikely vegetables will be served at the dinner table or introduced to the child.

In the end, attaining peak growth is not just about eating the right kinds of foods but encouraging your child to practice healthy habits and attitudes towards food. Here are six ways to eat right.

6 Ways to Implement the Right Eating Habits for Optimal Growth

1: Introduce Complementary Foods at the Right Time

Infants should begin weaning by six months of age and introduced to solids, in pureed form, little by little, from the five food groups of protein (meats and fish), fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy that can meet the child’s energy and nutritional needs. Preferences are developed early in life and likes and dislikes begin forming as infants taste their first foods. And even when they are accepting all kinds of foods, children should still follow up on milk, as it has all the nutrients to support their rapid rate of growth.

2: Cut Sugar

It’s far too easy to placate a child with candies, cakes and ice cream when he demands for a sugar rush but too much will lead to excess that will be deposited as fat in the body, leading to weight gain and obesity. Not only that, a high intake of refined sugars is linked with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Chief among the highest sugary intakes comes in the form of beverages such as carbonated drinks, syrups and cordials. Cendol, Air Batu Campur (ABC), as well as Bubble Teas and milkshakes are all Malaysian children’s favourites but once you cultivate his taste for these empty sugar drinks, it may be difficult for you to wean him off them later.

The best drink of all is of course, water. If he likes carbonation, you can give him sparkling mineral water. Or liven up his water by adding a slice of citrus fruit or watermelon, or add a little bit of fresh fruit juice to enhance the flavour. You can also freeze fruit such as blueberries and use them as ice cubes.

As for food, eat less sugar-rich foods like cakes, cookies, kuih, doughnuts, sweet desserts, chocolates and candy bars. Substitute these with fresh fruits and vegetables like carrot or cucumber sticks instead. If you are baking these foods yourself, try reducing the sugar content, and do not give sugar-rich foods between meals and just before bed.

3: Cut Salt

It’s wonderful to see your child eating and enjoying adult food at the family table. However, just like sugar, too much salt is a bad thing too. By the time they are weaned off their bland baby food and introduced to the general Malaysian diet, they would already be consuming too much food. According to the Malaysian Community Salt Survey (MyCoSS)[3], all of us are consuming about 7.9g (or 1.6 teaspoons of salt per day), much, much more than the 5.0g recommended intake by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Half the reason why our food is so salty is because of the seasoning and sauces we use to cook our meals. We use oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, stock cubes, sambal belacan and all kinds of seasoning to make our fried rice, fried mee, stir fries, soups and curries. Moreover, we eat salted eggs, salted fish, ikan bilis, processed fish cake and fish balls, sausages, burgers, delicatessen meat as well as preserved vegetables and instant noodles. And then we let our children eat junk food and the various keropok, kerepek and artificially-flavoured corn and potato chips. These foods are laden with salt, preservatives, colouring and chemical additives.

Too much salt leads to hypertension and risk of cardiovascular disease, even in primary school-going children. And just like sugar, salt leads to obesity and all its added risks.

Salt intake can be reduced by giving children snacks of fruits and vegetables instead of deepfried carbs and junk food. Limit fast food and hawker stall food consumption or eating out too much to have more control over the use of salt and sauces. You can control the use of salt in home-made meals. When cooking for children, do not add salt and lessen the seasoning. Use spices, herbs and vegetables for flavouring instead of salt-laced pre-packaged seasoning and stock cubes. Reduce your own salt intake and gradually translate this practice into your own homecooked meals for your family.

4: Eat Breakfast

There is good reason why breakfast is called “the most important meal of the day.” Breakfast is literally “breaking fast” from a whole night of not eating or drinking anything. This first meal after eight hours of fast provides the fuel that would boost energy levels for mental and physical performance at the start of the day.

It has been found that children who eat breakfast have better attention span, concentration and memory and perform better in school. They are also more likely to maintain a healthy body weight.

Skipping breakfast on the other hand, makes children “hangry”. They feel tired, restless and irritable, then snack more and eat more during the latter part of the day when fewer calories are needed.

In today’s busy lifestyle when parents have to get children ready for kindergarten or school and are rushing to go to work themselves, sometimes, there’s just no time to prepare a nutritious breakfast. This is where Morinaga Chil-kid can step in.

Morinaga Chil-kid is specially designed for children who are already eating adult food but sometimes, just don’t have the time to sit down for a proper meal to sustain their energy needs for the day. The formula supplies all the essential nutrients that children need, based on the international standard of growing up milk formula and the latest scientific research.

Moreover, as it is formula milk, it is easily digestible and has specially calibrated “brain food” such as AA (or Arachidonic Acid for improving intelligence especially in reading and spelling and also for muscle growth and development), DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid a critical component for the brain and retina and development of the central nervous system), Nucleotides (essential for carrying out metabolic and physiological activities), Omega 3 & 6 Long Chain Polyunstaurated fatty acids[4] for the development of the brain, cognitive function, nervous system and sensory organs. Omega 3 cannot be manufactured by the body and has been found to be beneficial to correct developmental disorders in children.

On top of that, Morinaga Chil-kid has 27 vitamins and minerals and is high in protein. Rather than missing breakfast altogether in the rush to get to classes, why not make your child a glass of super nutritious Morinaga Chil-kid and he’s good to go to take on the activities and learning of the day.

5: No Need to Polish their Plates

There was a time when parents would tell their children to finish everything on their plates. “Think of all those people who are starving in the world, they have no food to eat and you are wasting all that good food on your plate! Finish it all up!” they would say.

Pressuring, bribing, scolding, coercing or guilt-tripping the child into eating up all his food could backfire and cause him to form negative associations with the food he is being forced to finish. Or, it could make him learn to ignore his body’s hunger and fullness signals because he’s got to polish his plate even when his body tells him no. In the long run it could lead to obesity because of poor self-regulation over food.

Instead, be realistic about the portion sizes you are expecting him to eat. Can the child really finish up that mountain of fried rice? Or is it really necessary for him to finish it all up? While eating quality food is crucial for growing bodies, too much of a good thing, no matter how nutritious, is no good in the long run.

6: Encourage Exercise

It’s not just food that’s important for optimal growth. Exercise plays a very important role too because it helps your child build stronger muscles and bones as well as increase cognition and mental well-being.

Exercise helps the child build healthy bone mass and density, strengthen the heart and lungs, regulate blood pressure and control weight. Mentally, it improves mood, reduces stress, improves self-confidence and increases neurogenesis[5] ─ a process of creating new brain cells which help to heighten attention spans, decision-making, thinking and learning.

Every child should spend an hour a day on physical activity. Toddler exercises could include climbing, running and jumping at the playground, or simply playing tag or riding a tricycle.

Ensure Proper Nutrition with Morinaga Chil-kid

All of the above combined with feeding your child a balanced, moderate and varied diet is key to ensuring he gets the right nutrition for optimal growth. Milk is one of the five important components of the food groups. Especially for toddlers and young children who are picky eaters who refuse to try new foods, or who eat too much of the wrong foods, milk provides all the necessary nutrients such as calcium, potassium, phosphorus, protein, Vitamin A and D and many more nutrients necessary for his optimum growth.

Morinaga Chil-kid is packed with over 45 essential nutrients including AA+DHA, GOS, 5 Nucleotides, Omega 3&6 LCPs and 27 vitamins and minerals. It has a subtle vanilla taste and is formulated less sweet so that the child doesn’t take in too much sugar.

For more information on how the milk boosts your child’s immune system, promotes gut health and helps in brain development and function, read all about the milk here.

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